Untitled Companion to Friends with Benefits
by Gene Grace Kelly
Summary: Three years after Bruce and Clark decide to settle on the label "friends with benefits," Lois Lane gets married to someone else. Who is there to help Clark through his heartbreak but his good friend Bruce Wayne? SLASH WARNING.


**Untitled Companion**

As Bruce stood outside of his best friend's apartment, waiting to be let in, he wondered if he should have brought flowers. Or chocolates. Was it appropriate to bring gifts to your best friend before going out for the night on a half-date? Bruce frowned. Was it appropriate to go on half-dates with your best friend?

No, he decided, and smirked. Kal wasn't just his best friend. Just over three years ago, they had decided to become "friends with benefits." Sometimes it was even more complicated than Bruce thought a relationship might be, but in the end it was worth it. It hadn't even changed his initial relationship with the Kryptonian that significantly, which was a bonus. They did everything friends did, and then had sex. _Good_ sex, thought Bruce, his smirk growing larger still.

He was drawn out of his thoughts as the door to his friend's apartment opened. The greeting Bruce had been prepared to issue died on his lips as he took in Kal's appearance.

His hair stuck up at all different angles and there were shadows under his eyes like he hadn't slept in days—did Kryptonians actually _need_ sleep? Bruce made a mental note to ask at a more suitable time—and he wore a pair of plaid flannel pyjamas that the millionaire found slightly adorable, not that he would admit it.

'Come on in,' said Kal, shoulders hunched over and eyes downcast as he stepped aside for his friend to step inside. Bruce's eyes narrowed, his brain switching over into Batman mode. He began to list all the possible tragedies that could have happened to put Kal into such a desolate mood, none of them meaning anything good for him.

'What's wrong?' Bruce asked urgently as soon as the door was shut behind them. He received no answer immediately, and his heart skipped a beat. _It's that bad_? 'Kal.'

'It's Lois,' Kal murmured, and when he looked up at Bruce his eyes were filled with tears. 'She... I...' _Oh no. Please don't, please, __**please**__ don't cry... I can't handle crying women or crying children, so I definitely can't handle a crying __**Superman**__..._

Then the tears were falling down Kal's face, and Bruce felt an odd sort of clenching in his chest, as if his heart were aching. When Kal reached out to him, wrapping his arms around his shorter friend, Bruce did the only thing he could think of and hugged him back.

They eventually found their way to the couch, arms still wrapped around each other. Bruce made soft humming noises, something he had found comforted people since he was no good with words. When Kal finally stopped crying, he took a deep, shuddering breath and whispered against Bruce's chest so that he had to strain to hear what was said.

'Lois is... she's getting _married_.' Bruce thought to himself that chocolate might not have been a bad idea—Kal loved chocolate.

***

They didn't have sex that night. Instead, for the first time Bruce could remember since the second night Kal had been in his home, they simply laid together in the same bed. Kal was feeling calmer, which Bruce was more than a little thankful for. The two said nothing, at first, just looked at each other in the dimly lit room.

Finally, Kal spoke. 'She didn't even tell me she had gotten engaged. Just... this afternoon she came and sat on my desk and said, "Hey, Smallville. My wedding is next weekend, care to come?"' Kal's voice was rough, and Bruce clearly heard the hurt shining through. The Kryptonian sighed. 'She didn't even tell _Superman_ she was engaged.'

Impulsively, Bruce reached out across the small space between them on the bed and grabbed one of Kal's hands. Giving it a squeeze, he said, 'She should have. You know that. I know that. _She_ probably knows that. But... maybe she was afraid of hurting you. Maybe... she was avoiding telling you because she didn't want to see you react badly.'

Kal smiled sadly. 'I doubt it, Bruce, but... thank you.' Bruce smiled back, and leaned over to kiss his friend gently. As Kal wrapped an arm around the other man's waist, Bruce wondered just why he had ever thought Lois Lane to be intelligent.

What person with half a brain would give _that_ up?

***

They woke up the next morning to the sound of a female voice floating through the apartment by way of the answering machine.

'...I know it's short-notice, Clark, and I'm sorry, but would you please come? It would mean a lot to me. I know I may not always act like it, but you're one of my best friends. I would love to have you there. So... please call me back, alright? I won't even tease you if you don't have a date. I promise I won't say a word about it. Either way, give me a call, alright? Bye.'

Bruce tilted his head up to look at Kal, whose arms had tightened around him as he heard _her_ voice. Kal didn't look like he was about to burst into tears—good, thought Bruce, that's some progress—but he didn't look very happy either.

'Date?' Kal choked out after a moment. 'I hadn't even thought about that. Actually, I hadn't even gotten past the fact that she's getting married. Not to mention to someone else.' For some reason, Bruce found he had the urge to bash in Lois Lane's pretty little skull when he heard the desolate tone of Kal's voice.

'Perfectly understandable,' he said soothingly. 'She meant—_means_ a lot to you.' If Kal noticed his slip, he didn't call him on it. Bruce was grateful.

'Yeah,' said Kal sullenly. 'I have to go. She _is_ still my friend. But...' He trailed off, and Bruce waited for him to pick up the thread again. He didn't.

'But?' he prompted. Kal bit his lip, then continued.

'Going without a date would be _miserable_,' he mused out loud. 'Everyone there _knows_ how much I like—_liked_ Lois—' Ah, so he _had_ noticed Bruce's slip. Interesting way to respond to it, Bruce mused before turning his attention back to Kal's words. '—and going without a date would pretty much scream, "Lois, even though you're getting married today, I just wanted you to know that I still like you." I couldn't put her—or myself—into that position.' Kal sighed. 'But who would want to go to a wedding with me when everyone knows—_thinks_ that I'll be pining after the bride.'

Deciding to get it out there before he had too much time to think it over and change his mind, Bruce said, 'I would.'

Kal stared at him for what felt like an eternity, then kissed him.

'That's sweet of you.'

***

And that is how Bruce Wayne found himself at Lois Lane's wedding, arm-in-arm with her ex-boyfriend. Most people there worked at the Daily Planet with Lois and Kal, so they all knew him, being the owner of their newspaper.

The recognition in itself was hell, but add that to a moping best friend who happened to also be his date and Bruce was finding the open bar looking pretty appealing. Bruce found a moment to slip away to get a drink when Kal insisted on giving his congratulations to Lois alone. Bruce might have argued at a different time, but as it was...

'Vodka negroni,' Bruce told the woman behind the bar, sliding onto a stool. He rubbed a hand over his face, wondering what had possessed him to make that offer. 'Just one of the reasons I don't like pillow talk.'

'Did you say something, sweetheart?' asked the bartender, sliding his drink to him. He shook his head and drained the drink quickly. 'Another one?'

'Please,' he answered, nodding.

'I don't know why I bother,' muttered Kal as he sat down next to Bruce, 'trying to have relationships. Maybe you have the right idea about things after all.'

'We have a relationship,' Bruce pointed out as the bartender brought another drink.

'I'll have whatever he's having,' Kal told the bartender before looking over to the man beside him. 'True. But ours is... special.'

'Point,' replied Bruce. There was silence for a while after that, and the chattering and laughter of the other guests sounded distant to their ears. Bruce cleared his throat and spoke again. 'Clark...' He lowered his voice. '_Kal_.'

'Bruce?' answered Kal, concerned.

'Do you... I mean... Are you really happy with this... arrangement... we have?' he asked. He didn't know if he was hoping for or dreading a no.

'It's... nice,' returned Kal warily. 'Why do you ask?'

Bruce paused, unsure of what to say. _He_ didn't even know why he had asked, so how was he supposed to explain it to someone else?

'I don't know,' responded Bruce bluntly. 'I guess I was just wondering.' He could tell that Kal didn't accept this, but he left it alone, content to drink and sulk for the time being.

***

The next night, Kal called him just before he was about to go on patrol. 'Do you think I could stay with you for a bit, Bruce?' He explained then that his boss had noticed he wasn't feeling very well, and knowing about his feelings for Lois, he had been given a month's paid leave.

'Sure, you could come here,' Bruce said as he pulled on his gauntlets. It felt strange, to be speaking as Bruce while putting on the tights. 'I don't mind, and Alfred would be happy to have someone a bit more talkative than myself around since Tim left.' It was true. Tim had graduated from high school the week before, and had gone to Titans Tower for the summer before going to college. Alfred wasn't the only one disoriented by the lack of a teenager in the house, though Bruce would never admit it.

Kal heard the underlying message in his friend's words—_of course you can come here, did you really think I might say no_?

'Thank you, Bruce. I think I have to agree with Perry on this one—a vacation certainly does sound nice,' Kal said. 'And I can get the Titans to watch the city for me while I'm away. They'll like that, I think. Being given some responsibility.'

Bruce nodded even though Kal couldn't see him. 'I agree.' They hung up a minute later so Bruce could finish dressing and Kal could order a plane ticket—it wouldn't do to have Clark Kent magically appear in Gotham, now would it? (No matter how much Kal disliked airplanes.)

***

Kal arrived in Gotham the next day, and he was thankful he had had the presence of mind to get an early flight—seeing the city at night, so dark and dangerous... well, it gave even Superman chills.

He had brought little with him, remembering that he had been consistently leaving his things—accidentally, of course—at Bruce's house. He saw Bruce standing near the luggage carousels, and he waved at him and grabbed his bag. Walking over, he received a warm smile that left him ever-so-slightly weak in the knees.

'Thank you for coming, Clark,' Bruce said, his eyes glittering. Kal knew his friend enjoyed this game, taunting him under the guise of Bruce Wayne, billionaire playboy. Kal found that he liked his friend much better in bed, where he was just Bruce, a man who needed him.

'Well _gosh_, Bruce, thanks for inviting me!' said Kal with wide eyes behind the large glasses. This was as much a show for each other as it was for the crowd of spectators Bruce had drawn.

'It's no problem,' he returned, shrugging it off. Kal grinned at him, the embarrassed half-smile of Clark Kent. 'There's always room for you in my house, Clark.'

Kal looked up into his friend's eyes after a moment, startled by the forcefulness of the statement and the sincerity he heard in Bruce's voice. The same sentiment was shining in his companion's dark eyes. Kal smiled softly.

'Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate that.'

***

That night, as Bruce and Kal were playing chess, Alfred came to them with the evening edition of the newspaper. 'Master Bruce, Master Clark, I believe you might be interested in the article on page three.'

'Thank you, Alfred,' Bruce murmured and Kal gave Alfred a warm smile. The butler gave one of his own in return along with a small nod of his head. Practically a bear hug from the man, Kal realised.

'Damn,' Bruce breathed after turning to the specified page. '_Damn_ it, Vicki!'

'Who's Vicki and what did she do?' asked Kal, his mind spinning off into Superman damage-control mode.

'Vicki is... well, someone I... I don't know if you could really call it _dating_, what we did,' Bruce explained. 'She published _this_.' He shoved the newspaper at Kal.

The largest story on the page had a picture of himself and Bruce, at the bar next to each other at Lois's wedding, and the article's title read: 'Gotham's Own Bruce Wayne Seeing Metropolis's Golden Boy Reporter, Clark Kent?'

Kal couldn't help but laugh. Bruce glowered at him. 'Do you care to share what you find so funny, Mr Golden-Boy-Reporter?'

'Sure,' Kal answered once he had calmed slightly. 'I find it funny that we've had this arrangement for over three years and only _now_ are they starting to print things about us in the papers.' Bruce stared at him for a moment before smirking.

'Vicki always was a little slow on the uptake,' he said. Kal's rumbling laugh sent a shiver down Bruce's spine that he found he rather liked.

They never finished their chess game, and the article lie forgotten on the floor between the two chairs.

***

After a few days, the two settled into a routine. Bruce would wake Kal up to say goodbye before going to work (sometimes they would even have enough time for what Kal thought to be a _proper_ goodbye), then Kal would go back to sleep for a few hours before getting up and having whatever delicious thing Alfred had cooked for his breakfast. Bruce had given him full run of the house and most of the Cave, and Kal took full advantage of it. On his fifth day at Wayne Manor, Kal discovered the library.

Bruce had quite an impressive selection, Kal decided as he looked through the different sections. There were various branches of science, different philosophers, biographies, histories, and even all types of fiction and poetry.

It was—aside from Bruce's bedroom, of course—Kal's favourite room. It was, like all of the other rooms in the Manor, richly decorated, but it was more cozy. When Alfred brought him lunch the first day he was in the library, he asked about it.

'The entire upper level was destroyed in the fire,' said Alfred gravely, 'but Master Bruce saw it as an opportunity to expand upon his mother's project to make the Manor a more comfortable space.'

'It's a job well done, then,' said Kal with a smile, returning to his book. A few minutes later, when the butler was gone and he turned his attention to the food, he laughed as he realised Alfred had given him an extra cookie.

***

When Bruce would return home, they would eat dinner together with Alfred in the kitchen and then the two would play a game of chess, or go down to the Cave and work on one of Bruce's new pet projects together. Then he would leave again for his nightly patrol, and Kal would always wait for him with Alfred in the Cave. If Bruce came home hurt, Kal would help the butler mend his injuries.

And then they would go to bed together. Sometimes they would just lay there, getting as close as Bruce would let them to cuddling. Other times, they would have sex, which was just as good. Then there were the times when they talked, mostly about things neither would admit to if asked by anyone else.

One night two weeks after his arrival at Bruce's house, they lay in the darkness very close to each other despite the large bed they were in and just talked. Kal told stories of when he was first getting his powers, and he was terrified because he kept setting the corn fields on fire. Bruce told him about the rare times he had gone wild in his college days, the few moments when he was not so very dark and serious.

Then the conversation took a more serious turn.

'Bruce?' said Kal, turning onto his side to face Bruce.

'Yes?' answered his friend, curious as to what changed the tone of the conversation so suddenly.

'Do you remember when you told me about the times you wanted to die?' asked Kal very softly, as if it would break his friend in two to hear it mentioned.

'I do,' said Bruce mildly. 'Why?'

'Well, I just wanted to... I just wanted to tell you that I understand what you meant now,' said Kal. Bruce's eyebrows went up. 'I... the first few days after Lois first told me... it was brief, but intense. It was never that strong when I was younger...'

Repeating an action that was becoming almost disturbingly familiar, Bruce reached out and took hold of Kal's hand, squeezing it gently. 'But it went away. You're alright now.' It wasn't a question—Bruce just knew, and Kal was grateful.

'Yes,' Kal answered with a nod, 'I'm alright now.'

'Good.'

***

It rained the next day, a Saturday. Kal woke up to find himself alone in Bruce's room, the curtains on the window pulled back to show the downpour. He had just decided to stay in bed a while longer before going off to look for Bruce when the door opened and his friend entered.

'Good morning,' Bruce greeted him cheerfully before walking over to kiss him gently.

'Morning,' murmured Kal, watching the other man get back into bed. He was holding a book. 'What's that?'

'_Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_,' said Bruce happily. 'I thought I would read it to you, since it's raining.' Kal stared at him and Bruce sighed. 'Maybe I should explain.'

'That would help.'

Bruce told him about how his mother had distracted him from the lack of things to do on a rainy day by reading the book to him, and how, years later, he had done the same for each of his boys, no matter how old they were.

'It's just special to me,' muttered Bruce, as if he half-hoped Kal wouldn't hear it. The Kryptonian knew his friend was feeling foolish, getting sentimental over a book.

'Hey,' said Kal softly, smiling. He took the book from Bruce and opened it. Clearing his throat, he began. '"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister..."'

For over an hour, the two took turns reading to each other, and neither one noticed when Alfred opened the door and watched them for a few minutes. The butler smiled, and wondered as he left when the two would realise that being 'friends with benefits' was a waste when they could be so much more.

***

They both had monitor duty at the watchtower the following day, and so they put on their costumes together (Kal fighting the urge to slam Bruce up against the wall of the Cave and do unspeakable things to him as he watched the suit go on layer by layer) and teleported.

The two were greeted by a curious J'onn. 'I couldn't help but notice that your coordinates were the same,' he said, which was his way of asking, 'what were you two doing?'

'He's staying with me for a while,' Bruce explained bluntly. J'onn nodded, not thinking to question why or when or for how long. Kal found himself appreciating that quality of their Martian friend as Flash made his way over to them, having overheard the conversation.

'Are you two finally actually _together_?' asked the young man. Bruce groaned quietly.

'No, Wally,' said Kal patiently. He knew that Bruce liked Wally and thought of the man as a younger brother, but there was only so much of his antics that the Dark Knight could take.

'Seriously?' asked Wally, sounding exasperated. 'What a shame. I really hope you guys realise what a great match you'd be before you get too old to do anything about it.'

'Wally—' Noting the deepening scowl on Bruce's face, Kal began to protest. Flash continued, heedless of his warning.

'I know you two are doing the whole "friends with benefits" thing—' Kal was just barely able to hold in his laughter at Wally's use of air quotes. '—but really, guys. You're such a good match! You're all happy, and he's... well, _not_. He can't fly, you can. He's a thinker, you're a doer—you balance each other out _perfectly_! Everyone around here thinks you should just get on with it.'

'Get on with what?' growled Bruce, but Wally would not be deterred.

'Moving on to being boyfriends,' answered Flash simply, beaming at them. 'It's more official that way.'

'Well,' Kal said awkwardly, seeing Flash smiling at Bruce as he pointedly ignored the bat's glare, 'we aren't exactly _exclusive_ to each other...' He caught Bruce's frown deepen at his words, as if... as if he didn't agree.

Flash's eyes went wide. 'You mean you're being _promiscuous_?' he asked so innocently that it was both adorable and irritating. Kal was about to reply when they were both startled by a low, rumbling laugh.

It was Bruce. When neither one joined in, Bruce cleared his throat and tried to get rid of the lingering smile on his face. 'No. I wouldn't say we're exactly "promiscuous." It's more that we're... seeing other people.' Then he was called over by J'onn, leaving Kal alone with Wally.

'He's the only one seeing other people, isn't he?' asked Flash after a moment. He was looking at Kal with something like... understanding? Sympathy? The Kryptonian couldn't put a name to it, but he found it suited the other man well. He could see why people loved him so much.

'Now,' agreed Kal. 'Lois—Lois Lane—she got married.'

'Oh,' said Wally, and Kal clearly recognised sympathy. 'I'm sorry. I only saw you with her a couple of times, but it was really obvious that you liked her.' Kal nodded. 'Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?'

'Sure,' said Kal, puzzled. It had been quite some time since he had seen a more serious side to Wally, and that had been in just after the death of one of his enemies.

'How do you really feel about Bruce? I mean, are you guys seriously just friends? Because I always thought that... well, I...' Wally rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, searching for the right words. 'I never understood why people would be... um... _together_ if there wasn't anything... special between them.'

Kal smiled softly. He really did like Wally, and it amazed him how the young man remained so innocent when he faced grave danger—even death—on a daily basis.

'Bruce is very special to me, yes,' said Kal slowly, taking his time to think about it. 'He's both a best friend and a lover. But being superheroes makes for some interesting relationship conflicts. By having this relationship with each other, it makes things easier to handle. We get all the benefits without the messy emotional details.'

Wally frowned. 'That sounds like something Bats would say,' he told him, and Kal laughed softly.

'I guess it is. Bruce is a smart man, though, and a lot of the time,' Kal said, 'he's got the right idea about things.'

Wally's frown only deepened as Superman was called over to join J'onn and Batman. He decided something needed to be done about those two.

***

An emergency meeting of the Justice League founders had been called, though no one realised until they got there that it had been Flash who initiated it. And no one noticed that both Batman and Superman were out on an urgent mission that Flash (who had volunteered to take over J'onn's monitor duty that afternoon) had conveniently not been able to find anyone else for.

So there were four of them sitting at the table, watching Flash. Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, J'onn and Wonder Woman exchanged glances with each other before looking to Flash, wondering what was going on. 'So. You may have noticed that neither Bats or Supes is here right now.' A moment passed, then slow nods. The obvious question was all over their faces: 'where is this going?'

'That's because this meeting is about them.'

'About them? Have they done something wrong?' asked Hawkgirl, eyes narrowing. She knew how it felt to have a meeting called concerning something you had done—it had happened to her after the invasion, after all.

'They're _doing_ something wrong,' said Flash. Wonder Woman's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding.

'Flash, I really don't think this is our business—' she began to protest, but Flash cut her off.

'But it _is_, Diana, it _is_!' he cried earnestly. 'How long have you known Bruce?'

'Years. Since just before the formation of the League.' asked Wonder Woman, deciding to play along for the moment and shoot down any of his arguments when she had a better understanding of them. The rest of the superheroes in the room sat silently, waiting for this to play out before adding their input.

'How much of the time would you say he's been happy?'

Wonder Woman thought for a moment, then said, 'He's been much happier than he used to be, and much more... approachable.'

'_Exactly_,' said Flash, grinning triumphantly. 'Would you say this started to happen, oh... about three years ago?'

It took Diana almost a full minute of searching through her memories before she replied, 'Yes.'

'And when did his... _relationship_ with Superman begin?' asked Flash. He began to vibrate ever-so-slightly from the growing excitement.

'I don't know, Flash,' Diana responded, 'but this isn't—'

'_Three years ago_,' Wally told her. 'It's been good for him, wouldn't you say?'

'You could make that assumption, but it's probably just a coincidence. Or who's to say that the relationship came about _because_ of his happiness—'

'Let us _assume_ that it didn't,' said Flash hurriedly, 'for purposes of this argument.' Green Lantern raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in their youngest founding member, but said nothing.

'Fine,' Wonder Woman sighed, surrendering fully to whatever point he wanted to make.

'Now, let's talk about Superman. He's always been a happy sort of guy, hasn't he?' said Flash. There was no hesitation before responding this time; immediately everyone nodded. 'But for the past three years, haven't you noticed a growing effectiveness whenever he's partnered with Batman? He doesn't go charging in without thinking anymore. He doesn't act like he's _completely_ invulnerable. He spends less time worrying.'

'True,' conceded Wonder Woman. 'But again, this could just be coincidence.'

'I doubt it,' Wally said, and his grin grew as Green Lantern reluctantly agreed that it was all too convenient to be coincidence. After a moment, Shayera followed his opinion.

'J'onn?' said Wonder Woman, looking to the Martian for support.

'I must confess,' he began, sounding somewhat guilty, 'that I have recently scanned their surface thoughts for information about their relationship. There is... potential there for something more than their current arrangement.'

'Thank you!' Flash burst out, looking as if he wanted to hug his stoic friend. J'onn said nothing in reply. 'Here's what I'm thinking. If a casual relationship affected them so well, then why not get them to try a _real_ relationship?'

'Because,' Diana said, bringing a clenched fist down hard onto the table, 'it isn't our place to interfere with their personal lives!'

Flash was about to respond when J'onn stood rapidly, his chair clattering to the floor loudly. He put one hand to the side of his head, no doubt listening to someone's projected thoughts.

'What is it?' asked Green Lantern.

'It's Batman,' J'onn said softly. He stared straight ahead, eyes unfocused as he said, 'I believe he may be dying.'

***

By the time J'onn managed to teleport Superman and Batman back to the Watchtower, Bruce was out cold. J'onn tried to take Batman from Superman's arms, but the Kryptonian protested vehemently that _he_ would take Bruce to the infirmary. J'onn didn't fight him on it, following behind.

'What happened?' asked J'onn brusquely as they lay Bruce down. He gestured for Kal to get to work removing the suit as he prepared the necessary medical supplies.

'It was Luthor,' Kal spat. 'Luthor did this. His new technology—he claims it was stolen, but I know it wasn't. He hired some goons to take it and use it—that thing was intended to be used on me. But Bruce... _damn it_, Bruce... he had to go and be noble and shove me out of the way.' J'onn glanced over his shoulder to the two of them, Kal hunched over his friend's body, obviously upset as he deftly removed the upper armor of the suit.

'And after that?'

'The Titans showed up to help us out,' Kal said simply. 'When he was sure they were handling it, Bruce told me that we could go.' His voice was choked and rough, as if he was holding back tears. Distantly, J'onn realised that there was the distinct possibility of that being true.

'What was the weapon?' asked J'onn as he examined the damage done to Bruce's chest. There were burns and several holes that looked as if they had been made by lasers. He said so aloud and Kal nodded.

'Some sort of new laser cannon,' he said. J'onn handed some of the supplies to Kal, who began to help him sanitize the wounds.

After a few minutes of working in silence, Kal murmured, 'If you die on me, Bruce, I'm going to _kill_ him. I swear, I—'

'Shut... up...' Kal stopped and looked to Bruce's face, where the man's eyes were half-open and cloudy, probably from the pain, but trained on him sternly. 'You... will... not...'

'I want to already,' he said. J'onn continued to work, deciding to stay out of the conversation unless he decided Bruce would need to be sedated.

'Don't...' Bruce told him, sounding authoritative despite having to gasp for air. One of the lasers had definitely at least nicked a lung. J'onn worked faster—he would need Bruce ready for surgery as quickly as it was possible. 'That's... not... how... we do things...'

'Bruce,' Kal said softly, and he knew Bruce could see the tears in his eyes. Still he refused to let them fall. 'Bruce. If you just... if you'll just hang on for me... then I won't need to kill anyone, okay?'

'Sure,' Bruce said, and coughed weakly. Kal saw blood and quickly wiped it away. 'K...al?' His voice was growing weaker with every second.

'Yes, Bruce?' asked Kal. 'What is it?'

'Do you think... that when... I wake up... we could go... to that... Italian place... again?' Bruce asked, a soft smile on his face. Kal laughed softly despite himself.

'Of course, Bruce. If that's what you want,' his friend said soothingly. Bruce's eyes fluttered rapidly, and it was obvious he was struggling to stay awake. Kal impulsively grabbed his hand and the tears almost fell at the reminder of how Bruce had done the very same thing for him not too long ago.

'Yes,' Bruce said firmly. 'I have... something... to tell you.' Kal squeezed Bruce's hand gently.

'I'm listening,' he said softly. 'Go ahead.'

'I think... that I...' Bruce stopped to cough and turned to glare weakly at J'onn who was about to give him a sedative. 'Don't.' J'onn sighed and set it to the side. Bruce turned back to Kal, who had quickly wiped away the few tears that had managed to fall while his friend wasn't looking. 'I think... that we need... to change.'

'Change?' asked Kal. 'Change how?'

'I want...' Bruce breathing was becoming more shallow, but he continued to speak, fighting the feeling that he was going to black out. 'I want... more.'

'Bruce,' Kal said, choking on the lump in his throat but not caring if anyone saw now how upset he was, 'if this is supposed to be some sort of death bed confessional then stop right now, because you _are not going to die_, do you hear me?'

'Sure,' Bruce said. 'But... Kal... Listen.'

'I'm listening, Bruce,' Kal said, and he had to lean closer to catch the next few words his friend said, not thinking to use his super-hearing.

'I think... I think that I... I... love you... Kal-El,' he forced out, and the Kryptonian was about to respond when Bruce's eyes fell shut and his head lolled to the side.

'We need to get him into surgery,' J'onn said bluntly. 'Leave, Clark. There isn't anything you can do now. Wait until he wakes up. Go.' When he made no move to leave Bruce's side, J'onn called Wonder Woman and Flash, who led him out. He seemed to be in a state of shock.

Diana was forced to wonder if Wally had the right idea about the situation after all.

***

It took both Wonder Woman and Flash to get Kal to stop pacing up and down the hallway outside the infirmary and move him to his room. The two stayed with their friend, watching silently as he stood at the window and stared down at Earth.

'Do you think he's alright?' whispered Wonder Woman, mindful of the Kryptonian's super hearing. Flash eyed Kal and then shrugged.

'I think he's in shock,' said Flash. Wonder Woman sighed, and after another few minutes passed, she stood.

'I'm going to see what I can do to help out,' she said. Flash nodded.

'Tell me how he is,' he asked, and Wonder Woman nodded gravely before leaving. Pausing in the doorway, she called back to Kal.

'Don't brood,' she told him. 'That's his job, and we're here to make sure he'll be around to do it for a long time.' Then she was gone, the door sliding shut behind her.

The ensuing silence felt heavy to Wally. He could feel guilt forming a knot in his chest, and he blurted out, 'Superman?' He got no answer; the Man of Steel didn't even turn around or move at all. 'Clark?' Still nothing. He tried again. 'Kal?' The clasped hands behind Kal's back tightened. He was listening. 'Uhm... I'm sorry. I'm the one who sent the two of you out there and I should have given you backup, but I had this stupid idea that... well, it doesn't matter. I'm just... I'm sorry.'

'It's not your fault, Wally,' Kal said softly. 'I know you had good intentions.'

'Thanks, Supes,' Flash answered.

'He was so calm,' said Kal suddenly. 'He knew he could die, and there he was, just lying there talking to me.' Kal laughed, suddenly, and Flash heard the tears he couldn't seen and his stomach clenched in sympathy. 'He asked me if I'd go out for Italian food with him. And he said... he said he wanted more.'

'More?' asked Wally, hoping and dreading at the same time that Bruce had meant what he thought the man had.

'From our relationship,' answered Kal. Wally's heart soared. 'He also said that he thinks he loves me.' His voice sounded detached, and Wally knew for sure then that he was in shock. Then again, who wouldn't be after seeing their best friend in such a state?

'How do you feel about him?' asked Wally.

'I don't know,' answered Kal softly. 'I know that I wanted to kill Luthor for hurting him. I know that he was the only one who made me feel better right after Lois got married. I know that I like spending time with him. But I can't tell how I feel about him.'

'You should think about it,' advised Flash. 'Because he's probably going to want to talk about it when he wakes up.'

'Yeah,' answered Kal. 'Yeah, I'll think about it. Thank you, Wally. For being here. For listening.'

'Anytime, Supes. Anytime.'

***

Bruce was out of surgery that evening, and from the moment he was returned to his room, Kal was there waiting at his bedside. Wally volunteered to contact Alfred and tell him what happened, and the butler gave a statement the following morning that Bruce had been hurt while spelunking.

J'onn had told him that it might take some time for Bruce to wake up, but Kal began to worry when his friend was still asleep after four days. He was just contemplating asking the Martian what was going on when Wonder Woman came in.

'How is he?' she asked softly, moving to stand just behind him.

'No change,' answered Kal. 'I'm starting to get concerned.'

'Oh please,' she laughed, 'you've been concerned about him this whole time.' He didn't answer, and she squeezed his shoulder gently. 'Get some rest.' She left, and he decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to take her advice.

He fell asleep with his head leaning against Bruce's side on the bed, and one of the Dark Knight's hands clasped firmly in his own.

***

Bruce woke to the sound of a steadily beeping heart monitor and soft, familiar snoring. He smiled as he looked down at Kal, sleeping bent over in a chair with his head on the bed and their hands held firmly together even in the Kryptonian's sleep.

'Kal,' he said, wincing as his throat ached with the effort. 'Wake up.' He squeezed his friend's hand lightly, which seemed to do the trick. Kal lifted his head, looking slightly confused and groggy.

'Bruce,' he said, smiling. 'You're awake. I was starting to get worried—it's been four days.'

'I've been out for longer than that,' Bruce pointed out casually. Kal rolled his eyes.

'It's good to see you're okay,' he said seriously. 'It was kind of close there for a while.' J'onn hadn't allowed him to watch the surgery, but Kal had used his super-hearing to listen to it. They had had to shock Bruce's heart back into motion twice before the operation was over, and it had been _much_ too close for comfort.

'I can believe that,' Bruce said with a small groan. 'I feel like I was run over by a truck.'

'Not quite,' Kal said dryly. There was comfortable silence for a few minutes before Bruce—with great effort on his part—moved over to leave a part of the bed empty.

'Come on up,' he said. 'Sleeping in that chair can't be good for you.' Kal smiled at him and forcibly pushed the idea of what J'onn would do if he found him in bed with one of his patients out of his head. After a few seconds of arranging limbs and turning over, the two were situated comfortably.

'Kal?' Bruce said, his head on the alien's shoulder.

'Hmm?'

'How about next week?'

'Next week for what, Bruce?' asked Kal, yawning.

'You promised to take me out for Italian,' Bruce said simply. Kal chuckled and kissed Bruce's forehead.

'Sure, Bruce. Next week sounds great.'

'Great.'

And the two slept.

***

Bruce and Kal went back to the Italian restaurant the night after Bruce's release from the infirmary. Neither one said anything about Bruce's confession—neither knew what to say about it. Things weren't exactly _uncomfortable_ because of it, but it hung between them as heavy and obviously separating as the Berlin Wall had been and both knew they would have to talk about it eventually.

As they were finishing their dinner, Kal said, 'Bruce, can we... could I talk to you?'

'I thought that's what we were doing,' Bruce answered dryly, but Kal saw the sparkle in his eyes that meant he was joking. The man, seeing Kal was serious, cleared his throat and nodded. 'Sure. My place?'

'What about that park across the street?' suggested Kal. Bruce smiled at him and Kal returned it as best he could, as nervous as he was about what he was about to bring up.

'If you'd like.'

'Yes.'

They spent the last few minutes of their meal in silence, and it all reminded Kal very much of the first time they had been there. He hoped the rest of the night would go as smoothly as it had then.

***

As the two walked along the same path as they had the first time they had been there, Kal thought about everything that had happened between them since then. Before Bruce could prompt him to speak as he had before (and was obviously planning to do again), the Kryptonian cleared his throat and began.

'I've been doing a lot of thinking, Bruce, and I've decided that there are some things that should change between us,' he said, and pretended not to notice Bruce's 'oh shit' look. 'It's partly because of what you said before you... when you were hurt.'

Kal could hear Bruce's heart pounding and he could almost feel the nervous energy radiating from the other man. He wondered why Bruce was so riled up—it wasn't like Kal had even said anything important yet.

'When I said that... when I told you how I feel about you?' asked Bruce quietly. Kal nodded.

'Yes.'

'And when I said I want more from this relationship?'

'Yes.'

'Oh,' was Bruce's only response. Kal glanced over to his friend as they continued to walk. His eyes were downcast and his shoulder slightly slumped, and he could see the tension in Bruce's body even without looking through his skin.

'I've been thinking about that,' Kal began again, 'and I've decided that we should give up that stupid title we gave ourselves.'

'Oh,' said Bruce again, so quietly that without his super-hearing, Kal would not have heard him. 'I can see where you're coming from with this. It's okay.'

Kal paused for a moment to think about that remark and the oddness of it in context, then shrugged it off. 'I think that... well. We've... I really don't know what I'm doing.' He laughed nervously, then took Bruce's hand and pulled him over to sit on a bench under the dim glow of a streetlamp. 'Bruce. I... well, when I was at your house, I started thinking about you. And us. And Lois.'

'Yes?' said Bruce, looking utterly bewildered. Kal thought it was absolutely _adorable_, but refrained from kissing the living daylights out of Bruce because of it. That would take them so far off topic he didn't even want to think about it.

'I realised that Lois was a nice dream,' he said seriously. 'She was like... the equivalent of a high-school sweetheart.' Kal said, and paused to see if Bruce would respond. He didn't. 'And then, the day after I realised that, you read that book to me.' Bruce flushed, obviously embarrassed for that to be brought up. Kal smiled at him. 'And... well. I _felt_ something. It wasn't... lust, exactly—though I was sure as hell feeling that too—but I couldn't really tell what it was. Then you told me how _you_ felt, and...'

Kal sighed and ran a hand over his face. 'Bruce. I guess what I'm trying to say is that... I think I love you too.'

Bruce's surprised look vanished within seconds to be replaced by confusion once again. 'Are you just saying that because I nearly died?'

'No!' said Kal. 'No, I mean it.'

Bruce studied his face for a moment, then nodded. 'I believe you.' There was a moment of awkward silence, neither knowing what to do or say.

'What does this mean? For us, I mean. What are we now that we aren't "friends with benefits?"' asked Kal.

'Boyfriends?' Bruce said, and then they both laughed.

'Titles don't really matter much to me anymore,' Kal said as they made their way back through the park to the restaurant where Alfred was waiting for them. 'I was actually thinking about asking you to marry me, but I figured that would be too soon. Jumping from friends to fiancés is a bit of a leap.'

'Well, when you think about it, we _were_ doing all the things that couples do. And we've been "together" for years, if you think about it that way,' said Bruce, eyes glittering mischievously.

'True,' answered Kal. 'What are you thinking?'

'I think,' said Bruce, 'that I'm tired of waiting.' He punctuated his sentence with a kiss, and then practically dragged him to the car, wanting to get home to bed as quickly as possible. Kal didn't mind.

***

Bruce sat in his office at the Manor a week later, staring at the forms he was supposed to be signing when the door burst open, Tim and Dick tumbling into the room.

'Is it true?' asked Dick, looking more excited than Bruce had seen him since he'd gotten his first kiss from Barbara.

'Is what true?' asked Bruce mildly, though he got the feeling that he knew _exactly_ what they were talking about. Tim turned on the TV and quickly switched it to a nation-wide news station. Bruce grinned as he saw the image of Superman fill the screen, surrounded by reporters.

'Vicki Vale here. Is that a wedding ring you have on?' he heard them ask. Superman nodded. 'So you're married.'

'Engaged, actually,' he said, smiling.

'You're going to _marry _him?' asked Dick as he and Tim turned back around to face Bruce. He nodded.

'We decided that's the next logical step,' Bruce answered simply, and both boys began to laugh.

'Geez, Bruce!' Tim yelled.

'It took you long enough!' Dick said. 'And trying to go through a relationship in a "logical way" really isn't the best.'

'If I may say, Master Dick,' said Alfred dryly from the corner where he was turning off the television, 'it does seem to have worked out just fine, doesn't it?'


End file.
